Q&A – graphic designer Hannes Beer

Most people start the new year with a resolution, but not many people actually commit to them. This is where Hannes Beer is different. A graphic designer working in Stuttgart, Germany, he was unfulfilled with the limitations associated with designing for clients in a professional realm, and the reality of this industry which meant some of his favourite projects met the wrath of the corporate knife. To renew his passion for design, Hannes launched into the new year promising to create something new everyday. ‘The All Day Everyday Project’ saw this new year’s resolution transpire. And with 2011 coming to an end, we thought it was only appropriate to chat with Hannes.

What motivated you to start ‘The All Day Everyday Project’?
It was during the last days of 2010, when a client destroyed another project that I really loved. I guess that was the point when I thought, “You have to do something for yourself.” It’s not that all my clients are deaf or blind regarding design-related things. In fact, most of them are super cool. But sometimes there’s a lot of disappointment in this job. It’s not just a job you do for the money. It’s much more. It’s my life. When you browse through all those cool design blogs, most of the things you really love, are personal projects from designers or illustrators. The idea of ‘make something cool everyday’ is not a new concept. I stumbled upon similar projects from designers like Renato Pequito and Mark Weaver, and really loved their interpretations of this concept, so I decided to start one my own.

Into the light.

How do you maintain a balance between your professional work and your passion projects?
That’s not hard. I’m working full-time for a small design studio in Stuttgart, so there are clear limits regarding my professional work. Everything else I do, like designing stuff for bands, creating logos for friends and family, or private design stuff like ‘The All Day Everyday Project’ is more of a hobby. It’s a tougher challenge to maintain a balance between this hobby and my private life. The design process takes up a lot of time, which I could be spending doing other things like riding my bike or hanging out with friends or my wife.

At 365 days ‘The All Day Everyday Project’ is definitely not a short-lived project. How much time do you devote to it each day?
I give myself about 60 minutes per design. This might not sound like much, but at the end of the year that’s 365 hours! Now, that’s a little bit scary.

Why so SIRIous?

There’s been a great response this project, with lots of people interested in buying certain prints. How can we purchase them?
I have a webshop where you can buy digital fine art prints from every single design (signed and numbered, of course). I use special water colour paper for each design, which looks really great when printed. Though I guess everything looks much better on a wall compared to a screen.

A recurring theme in your posters is the use of typography. Who are your personal typography designer heroes?
I love typography! And I love buying fonts to play around with. But I don’t do a lot of custom lettering. I have tonnes of respect for every single type designer because starting a typeface from scratch drives me crazy. I guess I will never be that patient. I love the work of Jessica Hische, everything they do at House Industries, the typographic illustrations of Steven Bonner, the type work from Dan Cassaro and the hand-lettering from Jon Contino, just to drop a few names.

If you don't know...

To produce a new design everyday must been you are never short of ideas. What types of things inspire you?
Daily life is so full of inspiration. I mean, you really can design anything you want. Sometimes it’s a movie I watch, a book I read or something I see in the news, and sometimes it’s just a single word I hear someone say.

2011 is drawing to a close, will ‘The All Day Every Day Project’ make a reprise in 2012?
Definitely not. The project was a cool experience, but way tougher than I expected. I think I will be glad when it’s over, but I’m already thinking about other future projects. We’ll see.

The Black Gamba.

You can see more of Hannes Beer’s work on his website or follow ‘The All Day Everyday Project’ here.